9 Reasons Why Cruises are GREAT for Solo Travel, and 1 Reason They're NOT!
Prior to taking my first ever cruise, I wasn’t sure if I was going to regret taking such a trip as a solo traveller. As soon as I boarded my first cruise ship, I very quickly realised that this is a great type of vacation for someone travelling on their own, and in this article I’m going to share with you why. I’m going to tell you about 9 reasons why a cruise should be on your ‘to do’ list if you’re exploring the world of solo travel, and I’m also going to share with you 1 reason why this isn’t a great option for a solo. In other words, the benefits far outweigh the positives, and I’m going to tell you why today.
If you enjoy this post, then please don’t keep it to yourself! I’d really appreciate you sharing this page with anyone you feel might enjoy it or find it useful. Also, come over and visit me on YouTube - I’ve got so much to show you over there - I’ve created hundreds of videos over the last couple of years! To find me, just search ‘Fraser at Sea’ on YouTube, or click into the video below, in which I share some of my top tips for solo cruisers!
So, why is a cruise a great option for some travelling on their own?
1. Cruises Give you the Flexibility to do Exactly What You Want, When You Want!
Cruise ships are like giant cities. Imagine waking up tomorrow in a new city, and being able to do exactly what you want to, when you want to. It would be fun - maybe even liberating - wouldn’t it? The best part is that most of the activities on most cruise ships will be completely included in your cruise fare, so why not push yourself out of your comfort zone by trying that rock-climbing wall, or by launching across the top deck on the zipline?
At the other end of the spectrum, if you want to relax on deck in the sun or the shade, then that option’s also absolutely there for you - you’re on YOUR time - no need to explain to anyone why you’d like to do something, or go somewhere!
Cruise ships are like cities - there’s so much going on! Costa Pacific and Rhapsody of the Seas anchored off the coast of Mykonos, Greece, © Fraser at Sea
2. On a Solo Cruise, There’s no Need to Compromise at any Point!
This is one of my favourite aspects of cruising solo. I absolutely love being able to make so many decisions for myself, and I’ve got no need to compromise at all. Okay, that might sound selfish, but it’s a great feeling.
Think about it… What time do you want to wake up? What temperature would you like your cabin or stateroom to be? Where do you want to have dinner tonight? Do you want to stay on the ship instead of going ashore tomorrow? All of these decisions are to be made entirely by you!
Don’t get me wrong - I’m not saying here that a solo cruise is my favourite way to cruise. Personally, I prefer cruising with people, as that allows me to share experiences with someone else, but I do love this side of solo travel.
Every decision - even down to the temperature you’d like your cabin to be - is yours! © Fraser at Sea
3. On a Cruise, it’s Easy to Meet New People From all over the World.
Everyone on your cruise ship is on vacation, which should generally mean that you’re surrounded by people who are in a much better mood than what you might find at home. Before taking my first cruise, I wasn’t sure how the dynamic would work for a solo passenger in dining rooms, restaurants or at bars - would I be on my own the entire time, and would other passengers find it weird that I’d chosen to take a cruise as a solo?
I’ve found that, across most of my cruises, people are SO friendly. When I’m dining in a restaurant, it’s really common to have some light conversation with the tables around you, and it’s always pretty easy to get chatting in the bars around the ship.
Over the years, this has given me the amazing opportunity to build up a social network that’s truly global. I’ve now got friends who live in so many countries: the USA, Australia, Italy and Canada, to name a few! I strongly suspect that I’ll cruise again with lots of my contacts over the years - there are only so many cruise ships out there, at the end of the day!
My advice to you? Go along to events like the solo traveller meet ups (I’ll come back to these shortly) and take part in some of the wider ship events - they’re great ways to connect with your fellow passengers!
Cruise ships are full of people from all over the world - who knows who you’re going to meet onboard! © Fraser at Sea
4. In General, Cruise Ships are Safe Spaces.
I’m always reluctant when it comes to advising on safety-related aspects on cruise ships, but if you’re comparing a cruise vacation to a land vacation, I can almost guarantee you that the ship option will be safer than almost any city that you might consider travelling to.
When it comes to the experience ‘on the ship’, these ships are covered in detailed CCTV security systems, which in themselves are a hugely successful deterrent to crime. If something were to go wrong (fingers crossed that it won’t), then the Security teams are able to review the footage from hundreds of cameras to get to the bottom of what’s gone on.
I’ve seen it in the past where onboard Security teams have been able to use security cameras to recover things like mobile phones and cameras that have been left unattended - very impressive, isn’t it?
Thinking about time ashore, you’re going to need to be mindful of the fact you’re in a town or city full of tourists, just like you would be anywhere that you travel. The aspect of time ashore that I really like when it comes to cruising solo is that, when it gets to the ‘all aboard time’ (the time when all passengers are due to be back onboard), if you don’t make it back to the ship then someone will call you to check in.
Before the ship leaves, the cruise line will attempt to contact you, usually by phone. If they can’t reach you, then they’ll usually need to notify the local authorities, which means that people will be trying to find you.
Hopefully you’ll never need to benefit from this ‘check in’ as you’ll always get back to the ship on time, but it’s good to know that someone will reach out to you.
Generally speaking, cruise ships are much safer spaces than towns or cities on land! © Fraser at Sea
5. Some Cruise Lines do LOTS to Support Solo Cruisers.
There are some cruise lines out there who treat a solo cruiser exactly the same way as they would treat any other passenger, but there are also some who don’t. As a solo cruiser, you’ll often pay more than the typical ‘per person’ price to take the trip (I’ll come back to this later), so it’s great when you get some value in return for this.
I’ve been on cruise ships that have dedicated solo passenger meet ups, dining tables exclusively for use by solo diners, solo afternoon tea tables, solo coffee mornings and so much more. I’ve even seen port day tours for solo’s - I love how every cruise line has their own take on this part of the industry.
To find out what’s on offer on your chosen cruise ship, check our your daily schedule each day. Remember - if there isn’t a solo event on day 1, check the next day - it might appear slightly later! It’s also worth asking for details of the solo activities at Guest Services - the entertainment team will sometimes be more likely to include solo-specific events if there’s a demand on that particular cruise for them to do so!
If you’re looking for a cruise line that’s particularly good with solo passengers, then check out the next point…
Some Cruise lines will do so much to support solo passengers, like this section of the restaurant reserved for those dining solo onboard Borealis, the cruise ship from Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines. © Fraser at Sea
6. Some Cruise Lines Have Turned Solo Cruising into a Luxury.
As I mentioned above, some cruise lines do more than others when it comes to the solo cruise market.
One cruise line that I’ve been very consistently impressed with is Norwegian Cruise Line. On their larger ships (most of their fleet), you’ll find a category of stateroom that you won’t find on any other cruise line: a Studio. A Studio stateroom is a cabin specifically designed for just one passenger - you can’t actually book this grade of cabin if you’re not travelling alone.
A huge benefit to booking one of these solo cabins is that they also offer you access to the Studio Lounge, a private lounge space reserved specifically for those cruising solo - it’s absolutely fantastic!
In addition to the physical spaces dedicated to solo travellers, Norwegian Cruise Line are also very good at organising a schedule of events to entertain their solo cruising customers. There’s usually a member of the crew dedicated as a ‘Solo Host’, who will be responsible for organising the events on the ship.
Here’s a photo of my Studio cabin onboard my recent cruise on Norwegian Luna, and also a few shots of the Studio Lounge on that ship. You’ll also fine one of my YouTube videos below, in which I show and review the solo offerings from NCL in more detail.
A Studio Stateroom onboard Norwegian Luna, © Fraser at Sea.
The Studio Lounge onboard Norwegian Luna, © Fraser at Sea.
The Studio Lounge onboard Norwegian Luna, © Fraser at Sea.
7. Cruises Offer a Very Structured Vacation, if You’d Like them to!
This one’s going to depend massively on your personal preferences, but it’s music to my ears!
On my first cruise, I couldn’t believe the volume of events that would be taking place throughout the morning, afternoon and evening. At home, I like a relatively structured life, and so it’s important to me that I continue this when I travel.
I’ve stayed at so many hotels on land that offer nothing to do all day other than lie on a sun lounger, which I do enjoy, but I love keeping myself busy when I’m on a cruise ship. I can be busy from the second I wake up until the second I go to sleep, if I want to. That said, if you’re reading this and it sounds like your worst nightmare, don’t worry - you can also relax and do absolutely nothing at any point of a cruise. It’s entirely up to YOU!
8. As a Solo, you’ll Progress Through Many Loyalty Programmes Much Faster!
If you’re new to the cruise industry, then you might not know that the entire industry places a huge importance on loyalty programmes. In short, these programmes work by offering you reward points, which you’ll accumulate as you spend more time onboard a cruise line’s ships. You can typically expect to receive one point per night.
As you build your points, you’ll reach various levels of the programme. Each level comes with a range of benefits, and some of these can be well worth looking into! I’ve been on cruises where the more loyal cruisers will receive benefits like free laundry while they’re onboard, multiple free drinks each day, discounts on future cruises, and even a free cruise at the highest levels!
So, how can a solo progress through the ranks faster than everyone else?
It’s easy - some programmes offer solo cruisers additional loyalty points. For example, at the point of publishing this article, the Crown & Anchor Society (from Royal Caribbean) awards solo cruisers an additional point per night, meaning that a 14 night cruise in an inside cabin could result in you being awarded a whopping 28 points! For more information on this loyalty programme, this link will take you to the Royal Caribbean website.
Loyalty is incredibly important across the cruise industry, © Fraser at Sea.
9. It’s Easy for a Solo to be Spontaneous on a Cruise Ship!
Across all of my cruises, I’ve found it’s so much easier for a solo traveller to be more spontaneous with their plans. When cruising as part of a couple or in a group, it’s so important to arrange elements like your Speciality Dining bookings and Shore Excursions either prior to the cruise, or as soon as you board the ship.
For a solo, it’s a little easier to do things in a slightly more ‘unplanned’ way.
I often find it’s much easier for me as a solo passenger to book a table in a restaurant last-minute, or even to just turn up and be seated (often in a bar-seating format). It’s also much easier to find a sun lounger on a sea day - you don’t need to find multiple loungers together, so you can take the one lounger that none of the couples want as there’s not another one nearby.
Think about going to the theatre, too. When you go to the theatre and there’s open seating, you often leave a seat between you and the party next to you. That allows solo cruisers a great choice - there are often lots of seats available much closer to the start time of the show for those travelling in a party of one. On this point - some cruise ships have theatre announcements that instruct passengers to fill all available seats by moving along the row, so just check if you’re on one of those ships before you take my advice and then can’t find a seat to watch the show…!
It’s often much easier for a solo passenger to be spontaneous on a cruise ship, like to go to the theatre without needing to go early to find a seat, © Fraser at Sea.
So, that’s 9 reasons why cruises are GREAT choices for solo travellers, but what’s the one reason that they’re not?
The cost.
When you cruise solo, you’ll usually have to pay what’s known as a solo supplement. In other words, you’ll pay a supplement due to the fact that you’re a solo passenger in a cabin that could alternatively house two passengers.
In all honesty, solo supplements on cruise ships are one aspect of cruising that’s frustrated me for years, and so I always make it my mission when I cruise to avoid paying it as much as I can.
That leads me on to the below video - over there, I share with you how I cruise solo much cheaper than so many other people - come and give that a watch, and leave me a comment with your thoughts over on YouTube!
If you’ve enjoyed this post (I really hope that you have!), then why not come and check out another of my cruise-related posts? Here’s some for you to choose from, or you can use the menu at the top of the page to find your own now!
